Mouchoir de Monsieur: (The Gentleman’s Handkerchief) Created by Jacques Guerlain in 1904. The fragrance was originally created as a wedding gift of a couple of friends, it evoked the Belle Epoque, when it was fashionable to scent handkerchiefs, gloves and veils but especially to the skin.
Original Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? It is classified as an aromatic musky oriental fragrance for men.- Top notes: lavender, absinthe, mignonette, geranium, bergamot, almond
- Middle notes: heliotrope, jasmine, rose, iris, tuberose, neroli, wood, cinnamon, civet, Tonkin musk
- Base notes: ambergris, opoponax, vanilla, tonka bean and musk
"This is the name of one of Guerlain's oldest perfumes. Not a contemporary woman will think of trying it. Perfume of man, she will imagine. Dry, fresh, lavender scent. It makes one believe that the last dandies of the Belle Epoque, when they perfumed their blond mustaches and their lawn handkerchiefs, had a completely different notion of what is allowed to a man than we do. L e Mouchoir de monsieur is an exquisite dosage of amber, opoponax, mignonette and heliotrope. I don't know of anything more smoothly harmonized with the current neo-romanticism of fashion. It is exactly the velvety, sunny scent, but of a secret stridency, that the flying dresses of flowery muslin must leave behind, to be truly accomplices of the lawns of summer, of the gardens ablaze, as well as thirst-quenching places of shade where the watercress beds are surrounded by irises and strawberry flowers. I don't know if Guerlain still manufactures this perfume of poetry, but it keeps some in its reserves. If the women knew, the looting would not take long!"
Recently, I was able to obtain a sample from my good friend Alexandra Star, who has lots of rare antique Guerlain treasures in her etsy shop, Parfums de Paris. If you are interested in experiencing the herbal citrusy freshness of Guerlain's Mouchoir de Monsieur, stroll on over to her shop and take a look around. I will do a proper review on this sample soon.
Bottles:
Originally, it was housed inside a beautiful Baccarat crystal flacon dubbed the Escargot, a flacon designed by Raymond Guerlain, painted in an 18kt gold snail motif.
It was also presented as an eau de toilette in the Goutte flacon (eau de toilette) and the Amphore flacon (parfum).
Discontinued, date unknown. It was still being sold in 1953.
It was relaunched in 1955 after being re-orchestrated with modern ingredients, it sold still in the 1990s.
Fate of the Fragrance:
Discontinued, date unknown. It was still being sold in 1953.
It was relaunched in 1955 after being re-orchestrated with modern ingredients, it sold still in the 1990s.
Reformulated Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? It is classified as an aromatic citric fragrance for men.
- Top notes: lavender, lemon verbena, geranium and bergamot
- Middle notes: patchouli, cinnamon, jasmine, neroli and rose
- Base notes: woody notes, iris, amber, civet, vanilla, fougere accord, tonka bean and oakmoss
From 2001, it was exclusive to Harrods in the UK. Sophisticated and elegant, it is now offered in a limited edition in the original bottle to the amazing form of snail. Presented in a 200ml bottle.
Photos from ebay, worthpoint, estasbarbara, drouot, espritdeparfum,perfumeshrine,olfablog
I don't know how I heard about Mouchoir but when I moved to London in the mid 80s I had to buy some. So when I looked into Harrods I was told it was only available in store at over £90 for a 200 ml bottle. You couldn't purchase the cologne in Guerlain Paris but you could buy it at Harrods. Only the King of Spain had it on his dressing table!. They put a few drops on a cotton wool ball for me to try. The rest is history and the remains of the bottle (15 ml perhaps) are stored in the back of my refrigerator at 5 degrees . George Lush
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